From cold to fusion plasmas: spectroscopy, molecular dynamics and kinetic considerations

Non-equilibrium effects in hydrogen plasmas have been investigated in different systems, ranging from RF plasmas to corona discharges. The existing measurements of vibrational and rotational temperatures, obtained by different spectroscopical techniques, are reported, rationalized by results calculated by kinetic models. Input data of these models are discussed with particular attention on the dependence of relevant cross sections on the vibrational quantum number. Moreover, the influence of the vibrational excitation of H2 molecules on the translational distribution of atoms in ground and excited levels is shown. Finally, a collisional radiative model for atomic hydrogen levels, based on the coupling of the Boltzmann equation for electron energy distribution function (EEDF) and the excited state kinetics, is presented, emphasizing the limits of quasi-stationary approximation. In the last case, large deviations of the EEDF and atomic level distributions from the equilibrium are observed.